Neuroprotective effect of caffeine in an early model of Parkinson's disease in rat: behavioral and histochemical evidence

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting 1 to 3% of individuals over the age of 65 years. Both retrospective and prospective epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated an inverse association between coffee consumption and PD. This study was designed to investigate the beneficial effect of caffeine in an early model of PD. For this purpose, unilateral intrastriatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats were pretreated with caffeine (20 mg/kg) 1 hour before and treated twice a day for one month. Apomorphine-induced rotations and number of Nissl-stained neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta (SNC) were measured. Statistical analysis of the total net number of rotations made over a 60-min period 4 weeks after the surgery showed that apomorphine caused a very significant contralateral turning in the rats of the lesion (L) group (P